Jared Leveson (@Jared_Leveson) &
Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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LANGHORNE — Abe Dembele is all about the “grimy work.”
Conestoga’s senior forward realized in the seventh grade that his athleticism gave him an edge on the court. The 6-foot-2 forward is isn’t blessed with exceptional size, but he can leap plenty to make up for it: any ball that comes off the rim is liable to wind up in his grasp, Dembele’s timing and a vertical that he estimates is “in the high 30s” making up for plenty of it.
Abe Dembele (above) had 13 points and 10 rebounds as Conestoga beat Neshaminy on Monday. (Photo: Jack Verdeur/CoBL)
“He’s unbelievable,” Forcine said about Dembele’s rebounding. “How quick he jumps and gets off the ground, just gets us extra possessions. If he’s open, he’ll go right up. Otherwise, he’ll swing the ball and we’ll try to get the next best opportunity.”
With 6-10 center Michael Walz now a freshman at Richmond and 6-3 senior center Sean Mackey out for the season with a knee injury, Dembele knows Conestoga is relying on him to grab as many boards as he can get.
“I take my role very seriously,” Dembele said.
That was clear from Dembele’s efforts on Monday night at Neshaminy.
Conestoga’s senior forward was a force on the glass, recording his second double-double of the season against their Suburban One League opponent. Dembele’s 13-point, 10-rebound outing secured extra possessions for the Pioneers’ offense, propelling them to a 53-48 win and a 3-0 record to start Sean Forcine’s tenure as head coach.
“If you notice, we’re not the tallest group.” Forcine continued. “If he does his job and clears out the big guy, I’m fine with the rest of the guys coming in and scooping up the boards. It just so happened that tonight he was going up there and getting them himself.”
“Knowing Abe is down there,” said Brendan Styer, Stoga's sole returning varsity contributor, “it's a big relief on (the guards) because we’re undersized this year.”
Dembele grabbed eight of his 10 rebounds on the offensive end. (Photo: Jack Verdeur/CoBL)
Dembele’s 13 points came from put-backs or from his guards like Styer or sophomore Ben Robinson dishing the ball to their rebounding machine once they blew past their defender and found Dembele open after Neshaminy’s defensive rotation.
The senior forward heavily influenced his guards’ play tonight. Eight of Dembele’s 10 rebounds came on the offensive end, which gave guards like Styer (11 points, 5 assists), Robinson (5 points, 3 assists), and Patrick Corr (10 points) second-chance opportunities and the confidence to pull the trigger from deep.
“If I’m like, alright Abe’s under the basket,” Steyer said. “It does give me extra confidence and aggressiveness.”
It was not the prettiest nights offensively for Neshaminy and Stoga. Both teams shot 36% from the field and struggled to convert foul shots into points.
But the Pioneers won the game by rebounding relentlessly and diving after loose balls. That’s the play style and mentality that Forcine has preached to his team since taking the reins from Mike Troy after Troy ran the program for 16 seasons.
Dembele has embodied Forcine’s cultural shift and emphasis toward basketball’s grittier side.
“Our goal is to win the loose ball battle, win the rebounding battle.” Forcine said “I think tonight we beat them 36-28 on rebounds, or 29, and loose balls were 17-7. When you can almost triple up a team in loose balls, you have a high chance of coming out on top.”
“We always go over those numbers,” Styer added. “Because those, if you get that many extra possessions in a game, I mean that’s a really good advantage for you to have.
“And Abe brings a lot of that to the team and he’s just such a great talent with his athleticism.”
It was nip-and-tuck the whole way, Conestoga leading by one point after one quarter (10-9), by 23-22 at halftime and by 40-38 going into the fourth; though the Pioneers briefly went up 47-40 with 4:18 left on a Robinson bucket, Neshaminy had a chance at a game-tying 3-pointer in the final minute but Conestoga forced the final one of 10 Neshaminy turnovers.
Brendan Styer (above) had 11 points, five assists and four rebounds. (Photo: Jack Verdeur/CoBL)
Styer knocked down two final free-throws to seal the win.
Forcine, who previously served as Conestoga’s junior varsity skipper, had coached Dembele as a sophomore. Dembele made the varsity roster last season, saw limited minutes on a senior-heavy squad.
“He was very active on the boards,” the first year varsity head coach recalled. “That’s his game: being fast, jumping, being on the glass, just doing whatever he can defensively and if the ball falls in his hands, he’ll make a strong move to the hoop.”
However; early on this season, Demeble’s game has expanded to fit Forcine’s five-out and fast paced offense.
“His ball-handling.” Forcine said when asked about Dembele’s improvements as a player. “I rely on my bigs being able to handle the ball on the perimeter, and if you can do that, we can play our five-out offense that we like to do.
“Abe’s been really steady with the ball in his hands, [he] actually turned the corner a couple times and finished at the rim. I don’t think that’s something he was able to do a year or two ago.”
Dembele’s consistency and effort on the glass paired with an expanding offensive repertoire bodes well for Stoga as their season progresses.
Conestoga was an unknown entity with a new head coach and an inexperienced roster and Neshaminy boasted a roster with returning starters and key contributors from last season like juniors Emeer Coombs, Nathan Townsend, and senior Sean Curley. Neshaminy, which was playing its season opener, is expected to have a good season this year, which makes the win a valuable one come February for Conestoga.
Dembele’s hustle on the defensive and offensive boards set the tone for his teammates to attack the glass, initiate charges, and fight for loose balls. The result was a gritty and hard-fought win.
“The fact that we won on a loose ball defines what we believe in.” Forcine said. “When we dive on the floor and sacrifice ourselves, that’s what we’re going to pride ourselves on, I can’t be more proud of the guys.”
By Quarter
Conestoga: 10 | 13 | 17 | 13 || 53
Neshaminy: 9 | 13 | 16 | 10 || 48
Shooting
Conestoga: 19-52 FG (8-22 3PT), 7-14 FT
Neshaminy: 17-46 FG (3-12 3PT), 11-17 FT
Scoring
Conestoga: Dembele 13, Styer 11, Corr 10, Smith 6, Robinson 5, Fryberger 5, Schubert 3
Neshaminy: Curley 11, Zack 11, Coombs 9, Townsend 8, Cloud 5, Lovelace 2, Gobah 2
Tag(s): Home Josh Verlin High School Boys HS Central League (B) Conestoga Suburban One (B) SOL Patriot (B) Neshaminy